Once Upon A Time
by CSISaraSidle72
Summary: Sara, Grissom, Catherine, and Greg get called out to a crime scene, only to make a shocking discovery and learn something very new about one of their own CSI's. Not much of a summary. Will eventually be a GSR story...hehe!
1. Sara's Secret

Sara, Grissom, Catherine, and Greg get called out to a crime scene, only to make a shocking discovery and learn something very new about one of their own CSI's.

Not the idea that I was originally going to post, but it'll do for now ;)

Takes place in season 5, after Nesting Dolls.

I do not own any of the characters from CSI, nor do I own CSI. If I did, well...that'd be debateable, but I'd probably be rolling in money pits in Hollywood, screaming like a banshee. I do, however, own...well, a few people...you'll find out who soon.

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419...Sara could get so sick of those numbers, sometimes. Sure she had found it thrilling, even stimulating to have calls like that come in sometime ago, but now...now it was just old.

And yet, here it was again. A normal Thursday, accompanied by Warrick and Nick doing what they do best...seeing who can whoop the other's butt at the latest video game. Greg was at the counter, quietly sipping his coffee while Catherine teased him, trying to probe information out of him about his date the night before...getting nowhere, fast. And Sara was at the table, reading an article of forensics from a magazine that had been lying around the break room. They thought their night was slow, but in reality, despite how fast their job was, it was about to get even slower.

"Alright," Grissom said as he barged into the room, slips in hand. He looked very exasperated, sweat beads breaking out all over his forehead.

_A difficult call must've come in_, Sara thought to herself. _It's gonna be a long night._

"Okay, Warrick and Nick, you have a DB at the strip, apparantly a joy ride gone awry," he said, handing the paper to Nick.

Nick smiled smugly, before turning to Warrick, patting his back. "Alright, come on sweetie-pie."

Warrick sighed, shaking his head. "Yes, sugarplum."

As they left, their joking not gone unnoticed, everyone snickered save for Grissom, who had only one other slip in his hands.

"What is it?" Catherine finally asked, seeing the look of desperation on his face, the one that he said that he wanted to go ahead and get this over with and get the show on the road. It must've been something big.

"We," Grissom said, gesturing to everyone left, "have a crime scene, where so far the body count is up to two victims, but there may be more. The police are still securing the scene, but it's a mess, so they need all four of us."

Sara's stomach was churning. The way it was sounding, it was a family who was probably killed after a night of dinner, soccer and a movie. The way humankind did eachother, it just...

"Where's it at?" Sara finally asked, cutting her ownself off.

"Henderson."

Sara's expression went from irritated to frightened in .05 seconds. She jumped out of her seat, grabbing her coat. "Well, we better get going," she said, trying to play off as if nothing was wrong, but everyone else could tell that something was up.

"Sara, you okay?" Greg asked, downing his coffee before setting the cup in the sink and putting on his own coat.

"Yeah, fine," Sara said, looking at the others. "It's just...we'll need to process this scene, soon. There's no telling how many bodies are there, and it could just...take a while, that's all."

Not a one of them was buying what she was saying, but not a one of them questioned her about her sudden change in mood, either. So within ten minutes, they were all out the door and on their way.

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The drive out to Henderson seemed like an eternity for Sara. She didn't think to check the address of the crime scene, but she knew that if she did, no matter what the out come, she would've upchucked her entire meal for that day, and the past couple. She just couldn't bring herself to know, even though, deep down, she felt that she already knew the answer...and it wasn't good.

When the Denali turned onto the street, Sara's pace quickened. Catherine was up front with Grissom, who was driving, so they couldn't see or sense her reaction, whereas Greg, who was sitting right beside her, could. And he suddenly became even more concerned. She had broken out in a sweat, and the color in her face had drained almost completely. Greg was almost positive that she was having an anxiety attack, and the fact that it was someone that he cared for was freaking him out, a little bit.

"Sara," Greg said, trying to get her attention. "Sara, are you okay?"

But she wouldn't respond. Instead, she kept glancing around quickly, like she was paranoid of something...like she was on drugs, even though Greg knew that she wasn't.

When they pulled up and parked at a house, it was like Sara wasn't even a CSI anymore. She threw open the door, not waiting for the others, as she bolted and ran towards the house.

"Sara!" Grissom called out, running after her.

But everything was happening too quickly, now. When Sara got into the house, what she saw on the floor just about stopped her heart, and their bodies were encased by a large pool of blood. Sara glanced upstairs, not even thinking twice before running up there. As soon as Grissom got into the house, he went after her. He knew that she'd fudge the case, and evidence, if she kept this up. "Sara!"

When Sara got upstairs, like she knew exactly where she was at and where she was going, she ran down the hall. It didn't take long for Grissom to catch up, but he didn't see her. He did, however, hear crying as he walked down the hall into what appeared to be a little girl's bedroom. Going in there and glancing over into the closet, he saw something that he thought he'd never see: Sara, hugging a little girl closely to her. The little girl had a few scratches and bruises, but appeared to be fine. But what shocked Grissom was how much the little girl looked like her, and even more so, what the little girl had said next.

"I was so scared," she whispered quietly. "I tried to help, Mommy...I really did."

_Mommy? Sara was a Mommy? _Grissom shook his head, stunned, as he heard footsteps. Looking at the door, he saw Catherine and Greg walking into the room, looking shocked at the sight before them, just as he had.

"I know, sweetie, I know," Sara whispered, kissing her forehead.

_So that's why Sara was scared_, Greg thought to himself. He would've been too in a situation like that.

All that Catherine could think of was that Sara had a kid...it was obvious, now, but she really didn't seem like the mothering type. What shocked her even more was that this girl had to have been at least five, and Sara had worked with them for over five years...how had she hidden it?

After a few more moments of consoling the young girl, Sara stood up, not once putting her down. Instead, she rubbed circles on her back, trying to soothe her to sleep. "So...I guess the cat's out of the bag, now," she said, trying to joke, but it wasn't easy. Now, her daughter's grandparents were dead, and she...just...everything was screwed up, now. She didn't know what to do.

Catherine looked at her, sweetly. "Why did you hide her from us?" she asked, taking this time to get a better look at the little one. She was still awake. Walking over to her, Catherine smiled. "Hi honey, I'm Catherine. Can you tell me your name?" she asked, mainly to see if the little girl was in a state of shock or not.

Sara's daughter opened her eyes, looking to her mother for approval. Sara nodded, whispering, "It's okay," so the little girl looked at Catherine, sighing. It took her a few moments to speak as she glanced around at everyone else, making sure that she could trust them or not.

Finally, she decided that she could.

Looking back at Catherine, she whispered, "Olivia...Olivia Marjorie Sidle." She buried her face back into her mother's shoulder before whispering something incoherant.

"What was that?" Catherine asked Sara, mouthing the words to her.

"She says Meggi...meaning that's what you can call her...that's what her grandparents called her," Sara said, all of this suddenly hitting her, but she stayed strong for her daughter. She walked over to Meggi's bed, sitting down with her and rocking her to sleep. Seeing her distress, Greg, her best friend and surrogate little brother walked over, patting her back, a signal to let her know that if she needed to cry, she could.

Of course, Grissom already knew that she couldn't be on this case now, and that was best. Meggi would need to be interviewed later, when she woke up, and all of her clothes processed, but for now, Sara and she needed some time, and frankly, so did the rest of them.

Turning to Greg, Grissom rubbed his forehead, finally giving him a task that he knew, for a fact, that he could handle. "Okay Greg, I want you to take Sara and Meggi back to the lab. Get her some clothes so that we can process hers, take fingerprints, DNA, all of that, and...and give her someplace to sleep for a while," he whispered, giving a small smile to Sara. "I want you to do the same. Catherine and I will process the scene, so it will be a little while until we get back. Is everyone okay with this?" Everyone nodded. Catherine and Grissom didn't know completely what to do, Greg wouldn't leave Sara's side, and Sara wouldn't leave her daughter's side...it all worked out.

And with that, Greg, Sara and a sleeping Meggi left, headed toward the lab. Sara had to gain her wits about her now, because she knew, at least within a five hour window, that she would have to explain herself. And she really didn't think that she could do that, and she sure as hell didn't think that she could handle that, but she was going to have to.

And as they drove away, Sara thought about what Catherine had said about hiding her. Why had she hidden her daughter from everyone? It didn't take her long to come up with the answer to that one, but it would take her a while to explain. In the meantime, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax as they drove back to the lab.

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Okay, I wrote it, I'm my worst critic, so I think it sucks a little, but I will leave that up to you. There's more chapters ahead...don't know how many, yet, but more to say the least. If you want to, review, if you don't, don't. But it does encourage me to get chapters up faster, so...yeah! And I'll stop rambling now ;)


	2. Time to Share

Oh, wow! Within a couple of hours, I already had three reviews, so I decided to go ahead and get the second chapter up as soon as possible. And, I'm also hard on myself about my writing...kind of why it took me so long to even put my stories up on here. But, not long of a wait...here's the second chapter.

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When they got back to the lab, Sara ignored Grissom's advice, knowing that she couldn't sleep. Instead, she had helped Greg with Meggi's clothes, changing her into something else for the night, and was now waiting in the breakroom, watching as her daughter slept. Her nerves were getting the better of her, however, so she found herself pacing, but keeping a watchful eye on her daughter at all times. She knew that Meggi hadn't experienced the loss, yet, and she was dreading that, just as much as she was dreading telling her that her grandparents were, in fact, gone. Hell, it hadn't even fully hit Sara yet. Sure, they weren't her parents, but ever since William had died, they had been there for her, had taken care of Meggi when she couldn't...

Silent tears began to fall as she stood by the window, looking out into the night, one eye still never leaving her daughter's sleeping form on the couch. In a roundabout way, Meggi's Nana and Poppy had been like her parents. _Who would want to do this to them? Who in their right mind_...

The tears were no longer silent, and she found herself burying her face in her hands. _How...how could this happen. Why? _Those questions, and a million others were running through her head, right now. And then the obvious statement which hadn't reached her tongue, yet. She was glad it wasn't Meggi. Harsh, but true. She would die for her daughter, and with the way that the crime scene had looked, Alice and Ken had decided to do the exact same thing. And even though her daughter was here with her, still alive and for the most part, okay, she still found herself crying.

Footsteps had perked up Sara's hearing really quick, and she found herself drying her eyes and fisting her face as if that would make the tears go awake faster, along with the pain. Realistically, she knew it wouldn't, but it was wishful thinking.

Turning to the doorway she saw Greg, standing there and brandishing two cups of coffee. She found herself silently chuckling to herself over how much he seemed like a scared little boy, right now, as she smiled at him, walking over.

"I figured you wouldn't be asleep," Greg whispered as to not wake Meggi. "I also figured you'd want one of these, and maybe have...a little chat?" he said, pleading with her as he handed her a cup of coffee.

Sara took it, gratefully, and sipped at it for a couple of moments before deciding that maybe it would be easier to talk to Greg first before anybody else. After all, he was like a brother to her, so it would take some of the pressure off. But another part of her wanted to clam up, because she was good at it.

Finally, she opted for the first, but was still skeptical. "Well, you mainly know the big secret, now," she whispered, shaking her head as she looked over at Meggi. Watching as Meggi's chest rose and fell with each breath, she found more tears falling and she finally had to sit at the table, or else she felt she would collapse.

Greg quickly came to her aid, sitting beside her. He sat his coffee down and took her hands into his own. "Hey, hey," he said, getting her attention. "She's fine."

Sara bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears as she pulled her knees up to her chest, allowing him to still hold one hand but taking the other one away from his and placing it on her forehead, as if trying to hide her tears from him in a sort of...last chance at saving her dignity. She felt so embarrassed about crying in front of other people that the mere thought of breaking down like this was scaring her to death. But in a way, it was still the last thing on her mind.

"I know she's fine," Sara whispered, finally taking a chance and looking up at him. "But she could've died, and that thought scares me to death." That wasn't the only thing that scared her, though. Alice and Ken had carried her all these years, and now they were gone. What was she going to do, now?

"Sara," Greg said, sighing softly, giving her hand a comforting squeeze. He knew now that she needed to talk to someone, anyone, even if it wasn't him...though he hoped that it would be. He looked at her, taking his free hand and bringing up her chin that had fallen back down so that she could look at him. He needed her full attention, right now. And he had so many questions, but knew he needed to take it slow..._if _she would talk to him, that is. "What's going on? What I mean is..." he trailed off, getting nervous. He sighed, finding himself rubbing her hand, now, to offer himself as much support, right now, as he was trying to do for her. "I've seen your apartment, before," he said, remembering the time that he had stayed there after a bad blind date when he'd been too drunk to drive home. He'd slept on the couch. They were close...just not _that _close. "Obviously you don't live in a house like that...no offense."

Sara found herself chuckling at that comment, but she knew what was coming. However, she didn't cut him off. She could sense that he was scared to ask her all of these questions, just as she was so afraid to answer them. She allowed him to continue, seeing his split-second smile fade as he went on.

"What I'm trying to say is...and I could be completely off base here, but uh...your daughter had an elaborate room, there. That house looks like a kid lives in it, whereas your apartment...it kind of looks like a girl bachelor pad," he said, meaning all the beer that she kept in the fridge, but it still had a sense to it...a sort of feel to it that said 'a girl does live here'. He took a moment before going on...he really hated saying what he had to say next, but it had to come out, somehow. It was kind of obvious, anyways...at least to him. "Your daughter doesn't live with you...does she?"

Sara didn't respond, and Greg knew the answer to his question. But now something else was picking at his brain that he had to know.

"Do you even have custody of her?"

Sara looked at her, her face red and eyes burning, but no more tears would fall. She sighed, glancing over at Meggi. "Well...I do now...I hope."

Greg was confused. What did she mean by that? He knew that she had hidden it from the lab, her place of employment, and her co-workers, who were her friends, as well. He understood that. But what he didn't understand was _why_. _Why_ was she still hiding it? _How _could she hide it? Though he was understanding that one a little more with each passing second. But another question was bugging him...the kind that wouldn't go away. What did she mean when she said that she _hoped _that she would have custody of her own daughter? Something was very wrong with this whole mess.

"What does that mean, Sara?" Greg finally asked, being as gentle with it as possible.

_And the moment of truth has arrived_, Sara thought dryly to herself. She gave it one last shot and wiped her eyes as she looked at him. She was being as serious as she could ever be, and looked into his eyes to prove it.

"I've...not been the nicest person, Greg," she said in her slow drawl, the kind that also said that she was being as truthful and honest as she could ever be.

And yet Greg still didn't believe it. He was flabbergasted. "What do you mean, Sara? You're the nicest, sweetest, most caring person that I know. What do you mean, you're not nice?" He absolutely, 100%, would not believe her.

Sara sighed, rubbing her forehead. She felt a migraine coming on, mostly due to all the crying. She took a deep breath in, slowly letting it out before continuing. "I've...done some stuff, in my past. I...I honestly shouldn't be where I am today, but I am. And for my past sins...I was...punished," she said, whispering the last part. Greg didn't interrupt her...she was finally opening up to him, and he wasn't about to wreck it with his big mouth. "When I was pregnant with Meggi, I had...gone through a rough time, especially when her father died." A few tears appeared, but didn't fall. Greg squeezed her hand, once more, letting her know that he wasn't here to judge her. She took a moment, allowing her eyes to stray away from him. She couldn't look at him, now...not for what she was going to say next. "I couldn't handle things, I was...I was basically a very horrible person. I'm actually lucky that we're both still here, but...her grandparents fought for custody and won, and I...I didn't fight it. They stayed in San Francisco, and I didn't see her for almost the first year of her life. That's when I came to Vegas, and they came right before her first Birthday. They had...forgiven me, and allowed me to see her afterwards, but always with someone...I wasn't allowed to be alone with her...my own daughter...can you believe that?" Sara asked outloud, a rhetorical question. But she sighed, shaking her head. "I can."

"Well, I can't," Greg finally spoke up, shaking his own head. "I mean, I don't know the mother side of you Sara, but I assume that it's the best side of who you are. She seems just fine, and you were apart of that. I can't imagine what you did that made them react like that."

Sara smiled, a sarcastic smile as she bit her lip, almost chuckling as she shook her head. "Oh...you may be surprised," she whispered.

Greg looked at her, almost in a new light, but not fully. He still didn't think that Sara was capable of any wrong. Mistakes, yes, but none so bad to lose her little girl. He was almost afraid to ask, but he had to. "What...what was it that you did?"

"Yea, what was it?"

Sara turned, seeing Catherine and Grissom in the doorway. _How long had they been there_? Sara sighed...now the moment of truth was really here, and she didn't know how she was going to handle this.

Actually, as strong as she was...

....she didn't know how she was going to handle anything, anymore.

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Ooooo, what did she do? Was it just a little bit of bad, or was it really bad? Sorry, all of this actually just came when I was writing it, I didn't really plan it out until I wrote, er...typed it out. Typing's better that way...and I'm rambling again, hehe.

Hope everyone who has read it enjoyed the second chapter. The third will hopefully be up in the next day or so. With the way I'm going...who knows, teeheehee.


	3. Ghosts

Thanks everyone for the reviews! You do not know how much they have helped me. And all questions will be answered soon, but some will take more time than others. And crowned tiger, Catherine will be nice to Sara, don't worry...for the most part. She won't be a complete and utter bitty.

And also sorry, but I haven't been feeling all that well today, so this chapter may suck a little. I'm better now, though...drinking a Dr. Pepper AND a coffee, but my brain's still a little frazzled. However, I could not go to my doctor's appointment without updating...it kept eating at me...hehe. So, here's chapter three!

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Sara was really thinking about bolting, here. I mean, after all...would they really miss her? _Of course they would, stupid_, Sara thought to herself. _That's why they're here. _

She looked around the room. Catherine and Grissom had taken a seat at the other end of the table. Greg was still sitting at her side, and she even thought that, for a split second, she saw a glimmer of jealousy in Grissom's eyes. But she shook it off. Now was not the time for romance...especially with the boss.

"So...what was it that you did?"

Catherine's question for the second time that night brought her back to reality. Sara shook her head, wanting to laugh, but forcing herself not to. _These people really don't know me, do they_?

Taking her time, she didn't rush into things. After all...they had all night, and this was the past, her past, five years...you couldn't sum that up in a short amount of time.

"My boyfriend...my husband, I should say...we met in Vegas, both on vacation...both having lived in San Francisco," Sara said in her slow drawl, looking at the others. She sighed, looking down at the floor. "We hit it off, got really drunk, got married, and went our separate ways signing divorce papers a month later. Well, until..." Sara trailed off, gesturing towards Meggi's sleeping form on the couch. "I found out right after my papers came in, and told him. That's when he decided to do the 'right thing', and introduce me to his parents. Big mistake," Sara said, shaking her head. She'd never forget that day. The fighting, the yelling...they just didn't accept her for who she was because she wasn't rich. "They hated me. But, to give them credit, they tried after a while for the sake of their unborn grandchild."

Sara shook her head in shame as she took a deep breath. Catherine found herself scooting over near Sara, patting her hand for comfort. Sure, they had never really been friends or got along well, but Catherine still had this protective quality over her. She couldn't help it. It was instinct. But Sara looked up in surprise, knowing that these attitudes towards her would soon change. She looked back at the others.

"When I was...around...eight, eight-and-a-half months pregnant, William, my husband and now only solace in our small world since I couldn't work, any longer...he..." Sara, even after all these years, still wondered how the tears could come so freely for him, but they could. She reached up, wiped her eyes, and continued without hesitation. "While he was driving to work in the rain, in San Francisco, that is...he...he was hit...pretty bad. They...they had to identify him by his dental records," she whispered that last part, pulling her knees tighter to her chest.

Greg found himself scooting closer, giving her shoulder a little pat as he hugged her. But this is the part where Sara had to pull away, because this was the part that she didn't want to tell...

...but she knew that she had to.

"A day or two after the funeral, his parents and I got into a fight...a huge one...they said that I couldn't live with them, that I was a no-good whore, a dead-beat wife...they wanted me out, never to see or hear from me, again," she said softly, looking down. "So I went home, having basically admitted to myself and knowing in my heart that I was a lost cause...I did the only thing that I knew to do, even in my condition...because I didn't want to live, any longer..." she sighed, taking a moment before I going on, "...I got drunk, took some kind of an anti-depressant, and then got into my car...but that's the part that I'll regret as much as the drinking. Driving down the road, I couldn't see...I didn't want to, and I almost suffered the same fate as my husband...how Meggi lived...I'll never know," she sighed once more, feeling really tired, embarrassed, and ashamed, right now. She hugged her legs for dear life, just knowing that her co-workers didn't want a thing to do with her, now. How could they? That was an unforgiveable act, and she knew that now. But at the time, in the mental state that she was in, she honestly hadn't known better. And she wished to God that she had.

Catherine leaned over, hugging her. She understood that people sometimes went out on a whim...she knew that Sara didn't mean what she did. She could tell that Sara loved that little girl with all of her heart.

Greg took a hold of her hand, once more, squeezing it for comfort. He was shocked, to say the least, but he didn't like her any less. People make mistakes, and her and her daughter were fine. What was to be upset about?

Grissom was still shocked that she had a daughter, but he wasn't shocked at how her mental state had taken a toll on her to where she would have her judgement impaired as a suicidal tactic...her life was far too complicated, and a lot of people would've offed themselves years before, or worse...when she had still been a little girl. He admired her for her strength, and so he scooted his chair closer, taking her other hand into his, rubbing circles into her skin just as he'd done when she'd told him about her family. He suddenly remembered what she'd said that day.

_"Do you think there's a murder gene?"_

_"__I don't believe that genes are a predictor of violent behavior."_

And now he knew why she had asked that. Because she had almost murdered someone, and herself, which was considered self-homicide. But again, if she had been in the right frame of mind, he knew that she wouldn't have done it, so he still wasn't fully understanding why she gave herself such a hard time over it if everything turned out, technically, okay...save for tonight.

Finally Sara, who had been whimpering off an on for the past couple of minutes, took a deep breath, finally chancing to look up at her friends. They had to be, if they were still here with her. "I almost killed a guy that night, on his way home to visit his girlfriend...that's the only reason that I got off so easily...because he didn't die...but he was in a coma for a month or so.

"I had my baby in a mental institution, where I had to stay for about three or four months for evaluation. I was better, though. I had been better for a while. And I went back to work...that's when I got the call from Vegas, and by that point Alice and Ken already had custody of Meggi...I wasn't allowed to see her for a few more months, so I took off to Vegas...I couldn't be there, so close to her and not able to hold or touch her, so I fled. She was better off without me, at the time. Then they moved here a few months later, and eventually we all put our pasts aside to get along for Meggi's sake, mostly because I gave in so easily at allowing them to keep her." Wiping her eyes, she felt that burning sensation come back into them. She hated nights when she cried like this...her eyes felt like they would never get better, that way. And she just felt so exhausted, but she was determined to keep going and going until she knew Meggi was safe. Her own safety was the very last thing on her mind, right now.

The room was shocked, to say the least, but not about all of what she had done...they were shocked that she had actually _told_ them, though in a way, she really didn't have a choice. Catherine looked at Sara, shaking her head. "Honey, why didn't you just tell us? I mean, I know what you did was bad, and I'm not taking that into account, but we've all made mistakes..."

"Mistakes that could kill three people?" Sara asked, looking up, almost in anger..._how dare she?_

Catherine found herself nodding. "When I was younger, I made a lot of mistakes...A LOT," she replied, and as Grissom and Greg nodded their heads at that, Sara found herself laughing for the first time that night. "Honey, I understand your reasons for not wanting to tell us, but know that we are always here for anything that you need," she finished, giving her surrogate daughter a hug.

Sara smiled. "I'll try," she whispered. "Now I've just got to try and get Meggi back."

"Well, don't think that we won't help you," Greg said, smiling in his thinking way like he had always done in the lab. Sara shook her head.

"I don't think that you all can."

"Well, we'll do our best," Grissom said, looking at his watch. He hated to cut off this 'reunion' type of huddle that they had going on, but time was a-wasting. "Now guys, we uh...we really needed to get started on trying to find out who killed Alice and Kenneth Townsend," he said, digging into the box he had brought in with the evidence. He pulled out a bagged up piece of paper, handing it to Sara. "Sara, we found this...and we think it not only proves who was after them, possibly after your daughter, but also proves something else about our assailant."

Sara took the bagged up paper, reading the letter. Half-way down, she recognized the scrawl, but also noticed something else in the letter, a threat that made her heart race.

That is, until she heard a stir on the couch that was a couple feet away.

"Mommy? Where am I? Where's Nana and Poppy?"

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Hehe...I love cliff hangers. But hey, I may have chapter four up today or tomorrow, I'm on a row and my brain is less frazzled now. So what did the letter say? Who is it? And is someone really after Sara and her daughter after killing Alice and Ken? So, so many questions. Stay tuned!


	4. The Ties That Bind

Hehe...I don't look for sympathy...I was basically just saying that, "I'm sick, so this chapter might suck." But apparantly it didn't. Hmm...

Actually, I was in the doctor's office today, in the waiting room trying to write out most of this chapter, or some kind of character description, and I had all of these people staring at me, like "wha...?" I'll be writing until the day that I'm put on a slab for being somewhere that I shouldn't have been *looks around the room, nervous, at all the suspicious characters*...okay, I'm obviously slap happy and feeling better, now, so on to the important stuff...

And also, I dunno about yet, but the dates may be a little whacky...just fair warning.

And lastly, thank you to all of my faithful viewers...reviewers...hehe. You know who you are, and I appreciate all of the feedback that I've been getting. It's been awesome!

So, enough with my rambling, and on with the show, er...fan-fic.

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_"Mommy? Where am I? Where's Nana and Poppy?"_

Sara looked over, going immediately into maternal mode, and mode completely different than 'Sara' mode, that had a different voice to accompany it, as well.

"Honey, I'm here," Sara said softly, finally breaking away from the rest of the team as she put the 'evidence' down and got up, walking over to the couch. She sat down, where immediately little Meggi sat up, crawling onto her mother's lap and hugging her for dear life.

"M-m-mom-my," Meggi whispered. "I-I d-don't l-like t-this p-p-place."

But she was a Sidle, because her whispering didn't go unnoticed. She had that same low, yet loud voice about her. But that wasn't the only thing that the team noticed.

No one could deny that Meggi--Olivia Marjorie Sidle was, in fact, Sara's daughter. As Meggi scanned the team members, they all noticed little things about her to put together later. Like her smile. Though she wasn't in a smiling mood, her mouth had opened and they had all noticed that gap in between her two front teeth. She was also tall, and relatively skinny with pale features. Her hair, shoulder length, had a slight curl to it. It looked beautiful, but it wasn't a 'girly' pretty. It was just as it is.

Then there was the way that she kept looking at Catherine, Greg and Grissom. Her eyes scanned them, her mouth opening every so often to take in a deep breath, as if in thought. She didn't trust them. And the way that she was looking at them, Grissom could tell that this was a very nervous and lonely child. Just like Sara...though that quality, Sara probably didn't want for her child. Grissom now cursed Alice and Ken, even though they were dead. Meggi seemed so sweet, but she was already a little adult at such a young age. This shouldn't have happened to her, and it probably wouldn't have if Sara had raised her, herself.

Then Grissom noticed the dog. Meggi had a stuffed dog that she was clutching to her chest. It was a Dalmation dog, but it's spots looked like little bones. Grissom had a very good eye for detail, and he decided that now was the time to get on the little girl's good side. She, after all, had to be interviewed later by himself and Brass...he wanted, or rather needed her to be ready for it, by then. And being comfortable was just the way to go.

Getting out of his chair and picking it up, he took slow steps towards her. When he got to the couch, he sat the chair down and gestured at her stuffed dog. "You know, I love Dalmations. I used to have one," he said with a smile. Meggi just stared at him, almost in awe. "So, what's his name?"

"B-b-b-bones," she stuttered out.

_Bones? _That was more likely a reference to Sara's job, a way that Meggi could keep her close. Grissom still smiled at the little one, feeling bad for her, now. They were perfect for one another...couldn't any judge see that?

But no. All the judges saw were mistakes. And, unfortunately, that's the way that life had to be, sometimes. But Sara's already paid for hers.

Still looking at Meggi, he clasped his hands together, putting them on his lap as he leaned forward, a little, almost as if what he said next were a secret. "Bones is a very good name. My dog's name was Edgar Shakespeare."

Meggi found herself giggling. "E-Edgar A-A-Allen P-P-P-Poe, a-and W-W-Will-iam S-S-Shakes-p-peare?" she questioned, taking a deep breath when she was done. Just asking that small question, two relatively small names, wore her out. If Alice and Ken hadn't been dead, he could've done it...they had wrecked this child, but she wasn't ruined, yet.

Grissom smiled, nodding his head. "Yep," he said, as he straightened back up in his chair. "You are _very _smart. How old are you?"

"F-f-five," Meggi said, holding up her whole left hand. "I-I-I j-just h-had a-a B-b-birthd-day." She smiled sadly, seeming proud but upset about something.

Sara, who had been listening intently with interest to the two of them talking, suddenly perked up...she knew why Meggi was upset, and rubbed her daughter's back for comfort. Grissom questioned her with a raised eyebrow. Sara knew that her daughter talking a trusting him was a one-up...it didn't happen all that often, maybe once in a blue moon. She wanted them to keep talking. She nodded her head at him.

Grissom smiled at Sara and then back at Meggi. He was being so sweet. It was a wonder that he didn't have any kids, but it was different seeing him with one at work then out of work with one...it just didn't happen. "So you just had a Birthday, huh?" he asked sweetly. Meggi nodded, still sad. "So why are you sad, cutie?"

Meggi was a shy one. Him calling her cutie was like sending her on a rocket to outer space, and landing on the moon. _No one ever says stuff like that to me, 'cept for mommy,_ she thought to herself. She looked down, averting her eyes from everyone else in the room. Needless to say, she felt embarrassed, like he had mistaken her for someone else. There was no way that she could be a cutie. _No way at all. _"I-I-it's n-n-n-nothing," she whispered, looking at her hands like they held some special secret, or some interesting facts that she just had to know.

Grissom felt so, so bad for her. But all he could do was talk to her. It would help her, eventually, and then she'd be able to open up about anything. But he had to take baby steps. "It is if your sad about it."

Meggi was taken aback, and she raised up her head, giving him the famous smile like her mother had, gapped teeth and all.

_Yep, Sara...you can't deny her at all...not for a single split-second, _Greg thought to himself. He and Catherine were still watching in awe as Grissom connected with the little one, then they would talk to her. But she was so nervous that right now they were afraid to approach, so they stayed back.

Meggi suddenly became sad, and shook her head. "I-I-I d-don't m-m-m-matter."

Grissom and Sara, along with Catherine and Greg felt all of their hearts break into two. Sara had tears forming in her eyes, and she fought like hell so that they wouldn't fall...she couldn't allow her baby girl to see her cry, but at this rate she would. _How dare you...how dare you two treat her like this!!_

After all, Sara was only given visitation every other week, and it was only for five hours on one day, two if it was a holiday. Yea, Meggi knew her mother...she just never got to _see _her. Sara made mistakes, but how was she a bad mother when her daughter, who was taken from her and given to somebody else, was treated like this? Told that she doesn't matter...it made Sara sick.

It made all of them sick.

Sara pulled her little girl closer to her, looking her in the eyes. "Honey, don't you ever think that, okay?" Sara said to her sweetly, giving her a hug. "You're the most important thing in my life, sweetie. If I would've lost you tonight...I would've lost everything."

"R-r-really?" the little girl asked softly, looking up at her mother with chocolate brown eyes.

"Yes, really," Sara said, finally breaking down and allowing a few tears to fall as she weeped over how her little girl had been treated. It wasn't fair to her. It wasn't fair, at all.

Meggi hugged her mother, feeling bad now that she was crying. "I'm sorry mommy."

Sara sniffled, shaking her head and drying her eyes. "Honey, you don't have to be sorry. It's not your fault, okay? None of this is."

Meggi nodded, understanding. For the most part, anyways. Her brain was still trying to catch up. All she could focus on now was her last Birthday. That's what she remembered.

And as if on cue, she noticed Grissom who asked her sweetly, "so why did talking about your Birthday make you sad?"

Meggi looked to the floor. She nervously started rocking on her mother's lap. "B-b-because n-no o-one w-w-was t-there."

Sara sighed, remembering that party. She rubbed comforting circles into her daughter's back as she looked at the rest of the team...the ones that were here, at least. "Alice and Ken had promised her a lavish Birthday party with lots of guests, circus animals, blow-up rides...you name it, it was hers. When the day came, before I got there, they'd told her that she had been bad for letting the dog sleep in her bed. He had peed on the floor the next morning, and they blamed her. When I got there, they wouldn't even let me in. I tried, but...in the end, they won," she finished softly, feeling so guilty about that day. If only...

...but if there's one thing that Sara knew...you couldn't turn back time.

Catherine, however, was becoming angry at these so-called grandparents. She shook her head in disgust. Sure, one year her daughter _chose _not to have a party, but this little girl wasn't even given the option. Sara was going to get custody, in her mind, if it was the last thing she did.

Greg thought that these people were absolute bastards. How could they treat their on grand-daughter like this? Hell, at this rate they might as well have locked her up and threw away the key, because it seemed as if nothing else could be done to her to hurt her _except _for that.

Grissom shook his head, bringing up his hands to rub his temples. He felt a migraine coming on, but this time it wasn't stress so much as guilt. To many _'ifs'_ and _'what ifs' _were going through his head, right now. He felt like he could've done something...but the other part of him knew that he couldn't...until now.

Now was the only thing to focus on, because the past was already gone.

And now, despite all that had gone wrong in the past, Meggi's brain had finally caught up with her, and the memories from tonight came flooding back.

And all at once, she broke down crying. And Sara held her close, allowing her to be able to express herself...to free her pain.

And that's when Sara remembered the letter. She gestured to it at Greg, who then handed it to her. Sara read again, feeling disgusted and fearful...it was all weighing at her heart right now...she didn't know up from down. All she knew right now was the letter.

_It was pretty bad that it all had to come down to this. Everything you've done and worked for, gone. No matter how hard you try, you'll never be who you want to. Just when you think that you've won. And this just proves it. After everything that has happened, you still try to help. But where were you tonight? I know that I'm missing something here...someone besides you, but I'll be back. I'll always come back._

_CS_

_He had a record...she was sure of it. _"Grissom," Sara called out suddenly, making everyone's head turn and almost scaring little Meggi. She held out the letter to him. "We need to do a hand-writing analysis on the letter. The initials _C_ and _S_ as well as the _J_. I think that I know who did this, but this will also prove it."

Grissom shook his head, coming out of his reverie. He took the letter, looking at it. "Who do you think it was?"

"Well...I _know _who it was."

"Okay, that begs around about of the same question. If not 'who', then 'how'?

"Because a few months ago, I had asked you if there was a murder gene," Sara said softly, looking over at him. She sighed, averting her eyes from him and looking over at Catherine and Greg, past them, to the doorway. "Well, truth be told was that twenty-one years ago...I got my answer. And a few years later, I basically got a response," she said, shaking her head as she got into her purse that was beside of her, digging in it.

Now, most women had makeup, pads...whatever a woman needs, a purse has it. But not Sara's--she had a wallet, keys, a photo or two, medicine, and an old newspaper article. She handed it to Grissom, who stared down at the old, yellowing paper in confusion, at first, before he handled it with care and started to read. Not even finishing the headline, he looked at Sara, questioning her with his eyes without having to speak.

"You can read it out loud," Sara replied to his un-asked question. Catherine and Greg looked on in wonderment, but Sara and Grissom ignored it all as Grissom began to read:

"Dated the 23rd of June, 1989. Horror at Fun Land. On the 15th of June, the community was shocked when a little girl disappeared from a dark tunnel ride, only to be found later, miles down the road. She had been the victim of a brutal and violent attack.

The little girl was Kristin Curtis, age 8. She had been out for a day of fun with her mother, only for it to end with her life being taken from her.

Today, we report that while we cannot give her life back to her, her killer has been apprehended.

Christopher James Sidle was arrested yesterday for the murder of eight-year-old Kristin Curtis, a brown eyed little girl, with long matching hair and a big heart. He was charged, and sentenced to 20 years, the possibility of parole after 13. But residents say they will fight to the depths of the earth to keep him in there.

After all, someone has to keep our children safe. Why not us?"

_Christopher James Sidle...CS...and Sara wanted me to check out the J. Well, obviously she knows him...but he's killed before? And her mother? _Grissom shook his head...this was really too much.

Sara sighed when Grissom handed her back the paper. She was careful as she put it back into her purse.

Catherine and Greg had been listening intently, their ears perking up with this new information.

"So who's Christopher?" Greg asked, curious of it all. He hoped that it wasn't some old boyfriend that he was going to hunt down. He was just being, after all, his protective self.

Sara, however, felt like she could dig a whole to bury all of her secrets in, and the hole would still not be deep enough. She was becoming tired with all of this. Why couldn't she just be normal?

"Christopher...Chris...CJ...whatever you want to call him," Sara replied softly, taking in a deep breath. She couldn't believe it herself, but it was the truth.

"He's my brother."

Everyone looked at each other. Only Grissom knew what her mother had done, so he was a little more shocked to say the least. Catherine and Greg were just surprised that someone who knew and was actually related to Sara _could _murder. Sara herself was shaking her head at their shocked faces..._it's a good thing that Catherine and Greg don't know the other part of that story._

Sara sat back, thinking and pondering over everything for a moment, while she held her daughter, who was still awake but dosile on Sara's lap, staring into space. Sara sighed. It was a wonder how obsession could be overdone, and how the consequences to whatever act you perform could brand you for life. Thankfully, Sara's life was...yeah, well...no need to go there, really. However, on the other hand, her brother was so obsessed that he killed a little girl who resembled her, and now...all of this?

Sara could only think of one reason that he was doing this.

And it would take a while of sitting with it, and learning to understand it before the rest would be able to think the way that she did.

"Revenge...for me...on me."

After all, who was normal? But it took a lot to break the barrier and go all out, actually killing someone. But then again, it would've been even harder to 'not pull the trigger' than it had actually doing so.

And that's where Sara had to shake her head.

Murder gene or not...she could never kill...not in the right frame of mind, that is.

Because you had to be pretty crazy to want to kill somebody...

...but unfortunately, her family was just that.

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Okay, so this chapter was a little...crazy (sorry, bad pun), but it was fitting. Kind of...all over the place, but it explains things. And do not ask me why I had Meggi stuttering so much, but that just fit, as well. Hehe.

Stay tuned! Hopefully chapter 5 will be up later on this morning, depending on how much I can get done tonight. If not, it should be up by tomorrow afternoon.


	5. Living Proof Or Not

Okay, I wrote this a couple of days ago...it kind of sucks, though, when you can't get on the computer. But, of course, it doesn't belong to me, so I can't complain. Much. I sowwy for the wait, but here's chapter five :)

And Meggi, in this chapter, was inspired by my niece, because she loves telling silly jokes, and that's where I came up with how to actually be able to use Meggi more.

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Sara had finally gotten Meggi to calm down, but she had to promise something first; that, no matter what, she would at least _try _and make sure that Meggi didn't go into foster care. If Sara absolutely had to, she'd let a CSI adopt her. All the judges saw were mistakes...they'd rather send her somewhere harmful, then back to her mother who was doing fine, now, and had only made one mistake.

It tore her a part.

And what she hated the most was making that promise, but Meggi wouldn't calm down, otherwise, and they needed to question her, soon.

But right now, she had gotten her calm enough to where she was being herself, joking around, and not stuttering.

Because Meggi had a wonderful ability. When she was with her mother, that's all she knew...if she wanted, she could block out everything else.

She had become a master at that.

And that's when she wasn't nervous, so stuttering wasn't known at all to her, then.

"Okay...knock-knock," Sara said to Meggi, holding her little hands as Meggi sat on Sara's lap, facing her mother. Meggi laughed, tilting her head to the side in wonderment.

"Who's there?"

"Boo!"

Meggi was confused now. Being only five, and living in the confined area that she had, she hadn't heard many jokes. "Boo who?"

Sara smirked. "Don't cry, it's only a joke."

Meggi laughed. "Mommy, that joke was silly."

Catherine and Greg watched from the table. Grissom had left the room for a few moments, needing to check on the results of the evidence. Catherine and Greg were just amazed to see this other side of Sara...the best part of her.

Meggi thought of something, finally speaking up. "Okay, Mommy...I got a joke. Knock-knock!"

Sara smiled, taking her time. "Who's there?"

"Boo!"

Now it was Sara's turn to be confused. "Boo who?"

"Boo-hoo, I made you cryyyyyyy," Meggi finished in a sing-song voice, laughing hysterically.

"That is the silliest joke, ever, miss Olivia," Sara said, laughing and calling her by her real name as she tickled her sides.

Meggi couldn't slow down her laughing, now. "Hehe...okay, okay! It's silly."

Sara stopped tickling her, and the mother-daughter pair smiled at one another.

"You won't let them take me away...right?" the tyke asked, becoming nervous and afraid, again. Tears shone through her eyes, and Sara wiped the stray ones that actually managed to fall.

"I will do my best, honey," Sara whispered, tearing up as well. "If I could, I would run away with you...but it would never work."

"Why?" the young girl asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Because...running away doesn't solve problems, it only causes more."

Meggi nodded. Her mother was such a wise woman. With that, she hugged her, sinking into her loving embrace.

And that's when Grissom decided to make an appearance. He went over, sitting beside Meggi and Sara in the chair in front of the couch. He turned so he was looking at them, as well as Catherine and Greg.

"Okay," Grissom said. "All the evidence, so far, is pointing to Christopher Sidle." He turned, now only looking at Meggi. He needed to question her, so he looked at Sara, who nodded.

"But in here, not in...there," Sara said, reading his thoughts, once more, and gesturing towards the interrogation room. She didn't want her child anywhere near there. At least in here, it didn't look as bad and gloomy. She didn't want her child scared...not in the least.

Grissom nodded, looking back at Meggi. "Honey, what can you tell me about tonight?"

Meggi whined, not wanting to remember it. "I dunno."

Grissom sighed, looking at Sara. Sara turned to her little girl, not wanting to press for information, but knowing that she needed to. "Sweets, you need to tell Dr. Grissom what happened tonight, so it won't happen again."

"A-a man came over." Sara bit her lip, forcing herself to stay strong for Meggi. She was becoming nervous, and that's when she couldn't talk. But who could blame her? Especially with what had happened tonight.

"And the man?" Grissom probed. "Can you tell me what he looked like?"

Meggi shrugged. "A man. He was tall, dark hair...skinny. I saw him on the stairs."

"Were you hiding? Did he see you?"

This man was asking _way_ too many questions for Meggi's taste. She nodded her head to the first that he spit out, and shook her head at the second.

"Honey," Sara finally spoke up. "Did you hide in your room?"

"Yes." Meggi looked up at her mother. "But I could hear him yelling. He told Nana and Poppy that...that he had to take care of them, and he had to take care of you, because you hurt him." Meggi shook her head in anguish. "But mommy, I don't understand. You're good!" The little girl threw her arms around her mother, and at that moment Sara allowed her barrier down in front of her little girl. As the mother and daughter cried, the rest of the team sat, not knowing where to go from here. It still wasn't enough to go on to be able to get an arrest warrant.

Grissom turned to Catherine and Greg. "Um...how about you two go back to the crime scene, see if there's anything else that you can gather."

Catherine nodded, then, without disturbing the pair on the couch, she whispered a, "let's go," to Greg, and they left.

Grissom turned his attention back to Sara and Meggi, who were now calming down. Sara didn't care about her dignity anymore, and they both took a tissue paper when Grissom offered it. He gave them a few moments.

"Okay," he finally cut in through the silence, "Honey...do you think if you saw a picture of him, you'd be able to tell who he is?" he asked Meggi, being as sweet and as gentle as he possibly could.

Meggi tensed for a moment, but one loving pat from her mother had her head nodding. That's when Sara dug into her purse, once again, pulling out a picture.

"Does this look like him?"

Showing a picture to her daughter, the little girl nodded. "Yeah, but he's so young there." It was an older photo, taken years back, that had a young boy with dark hair in it. Only he looked happier than the man that they talked about today. "Hey mommy, that looks like me!" Sure enough, standing beside the boy was a little girl, identical to Meggi.

Sara smiled. "That's me, sweets. When I was your age."

Meggi beamed. "You're pretty."

Grissom couldn't help but smile. She was so innocent...who could do something like this? She was going to need therapy for years to come after this. He was sure of it.

But there was something that Meggi wasn't telling them. Instead, she clung to her mother, tired again. She just didn't want to remember it...not anymore. Sara gave her permission to go back to sleep, and in doing so her and Grissom talked...civil, for the first time in months.

"So...I'm sorry for not telling you about her." Sara smiled a sad smile at Grissom. She was trying to be as light-hearted as possible. She was emotionally exhausted now.

But Grissom dismissed it. "You had your reasons, Sara...I know that, now." Truth was, he was hurt that she hadn't told him. She told him about her mother and what she'd done. He wondered why she hadn't told him, but now that he'd heard the entire story...he understood completely. He wouldn't have told himself, even if he had to. Let alone to a bunch of people who, while friends, were still like strangers to that part of your life. His only hope now was for their safety...nothing rose above that, by any means. Not now.

But Sara wasn't so sure...about anything, for that matter.

Grissom could sense that.

"You're safe here, Sara."

"Am I?" Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper as she gestured towards Meggi. "Are we?"

"Yes."

At that moment, a loud crash sounded throughout the building. The building was clear, save for a few CSIs and Lab Techs...which was a good thing. Except for Grissom, Sara and Meggi, that is. Because as the loud crash sounded, an explosion rang through the building, almost like the combination of an earthquake, shaking the building, and a bomb...catching most of what was there, in that area, on fire. And that was including the room that the trio was in, now.

Sara was knocked to the ground, still holding Meggi. Grissom filtered through the smoke, trying to find them. "Sara! Meggi!"

Sara coughed, taking a wheezing breath in. "Over...here!"

Meggi was awake now, and crying. "I'm scared, mommy."

Sara held her close. "Don't worry baby...we'll get...out of...here." Sara was starting to lose her breath, and fast. And that's when Meggi admitted what she hadn't told them...what she _should've _told them.

"He said he would get us...tonight." Meggi bawled, making it harder for her to breathe, as well. She coughed. "And I knew he wasn't lying."

Sara was shocked at that revelation, but held her daughter as close as she could, refusing to let go while she was still conscious.

Which, unfortunately, was about all of ten seconds.

And Meggi followed soon after.

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Hmm...I honestly don't know where that came from. I was in an evil mood when I wrote this. Sorry it took so long, but enjoy! Next chapter coming up...stay tuned :p


	6. Secrets and Lies

Sorry for the wait. I free-write this story, so usually it's whatever idea that pops into my head is what I write and I didn't have any for a couple of days. But I'm baaaaaaaaaack!! Hehe. Anyways, here's the next chapter, and I hope it was well worth the wait :D

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"Sara! Meggi!"

Grissom could hear the sirens, hear the scrambling of people trying to get out of the building and others trying to get in to save those who needed to get out...he was confused. He had lost his state of conscious for a few moments...he didn't know exactly what had happened, but he knew that it was something related to the case. And had probably been caused by Christopher Sidle. But his mind was in too much of a fog right now, to think. His only focus was of finding Sara and Meggi...alive.

"Is anyone in there?"

Grissom coughed. He felt like his chest was going to cave in. "Yeah." The room was full of smoke...that had to have been some serious bomb, or whatever it was, that had been let off. He couldn't see his hand, let alone to the door only a short distance a way. He leaned back, getting his strength before he started crawling, trying to find out where Sara and Meggi were. He felt like he had been hit over the head with something, and it was only then that he noticed that he was, in fact, bleeding.

It took him what felt like forever, but he finally felt a leg...a small one. "Meggi, honey, are you okay?"

But no response. He felt of her, though...she was still breathing. Shallow breaths, but it was there.

He felt around more just as the emergency squad came over, attending to Meggi. But beside her was nothing...no Sara, no trace of her at all.

Gil caught his heart in his throat and he grabbed his chest. He felt as if he was having a heart attack. Where was Sara? He couldn't see to move around, how could she? Especially in the state they had all been when the explosion happened.

Gil felt the world around him spinning, and soon everything was shrouded in darkness.

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"What do you mean Sara's missing?" Catherine couldn't believe it. They leave the lab for an hour, and all of a sudden an explosion happens and Sara disappears? _What a conicidence_, she thought dryly to herself.

Now her and Greg were at Desert Palms. According to the doctor, Grissom had presented with signs of a heart attack, but all he was really having was a panic attack. Besides that and some smoke inhalation, he was fine.

Meggi was in stable condition, as well, though they had to find out one other detail about her the hard way--she had asthma, and went into full respiratory arrest when the smoke had engulfed her. They got her stable, and on breathing treatments. Right now, her and Grissom were sharing the same room in emergency, since she refused to be alone. They both had minor burns and cuts and abrasions from the explosion, but they were doing better.

Catherine and Greg were looking in, but at the moment they were standing in the hall talking to Jim Brass. Nick and Warrick were on their way...they needed everyone's help on this one.

"We're not sure how it happened," Jim answered, frustrated just as much as they were. He just wasn't allowing his to surface. "Probably the same way that they got that bomb in there."

"So it was a bomb?" Greg asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He was worried more, now, but he had to stay strong.

"No," Jim answered, shaking his head. He meant that as a figure of speech, but they were all on edge, right now. "They're not sure what it was, but whatever it was, it caused a lot of damage, but didn't really hurt anyone...not critically, anyways."

Catherine began pacing the hallway. "But Sara's missing! How do we know that she's not hurt? I mean...look at Gil and Meggi."

"Yeah, but they had _minor _injuries...they'll be okay," Jim reassured her. He sighed, looking into their room. "Our biggest concern at the moment is Sara. If we don't find her within forty-eight hours...there's a chance that she may not be found...at least not alive." He hated being so frank about it, but it was the truth, and Catherine and Greg knew it all too well. They had to beat the clock on this one...they just had to.

Catherine and Greg looked at each other, and to the room that held their best friend and their other best friend's little girl. Catherine sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Well, let's get this over with."

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"Where's she at? W-where's m-my mo-mommy?"

Meggi's nervous stutter was starting to come back. Catherine took note that Sara could help her calm it down, but without her, the little tyke was lost. That's how it usually was with little girls and their mother's...those that got along, anyways.

Catherine hated this part. She was so young, but to find her they may have to crush her little girl's heart...she'd kick herself hard if they couldn't find her. "Meggi...what happened tonight at the lab?"

"A ba-ba-boom ha-happened. T-then I w-went t-to s-sleep."

"Did you see anyone...other than your mommy or Dr. Grissom?" Brass asked, writing down what she said.

Meggi thought about it, but shook her head. "No, but..." She looked away, sad. Thinking about it, tears started to fall, and she hugged her knees to her chest, wanting her mommy.

Catherine, the ever-maternal one, sat on the bed beside Meggi, hugging her close. Placing a gentle kiss on top of her forehead, and minding her injuries, she asked sweetly, "what is it, honey? You can tell me?"

Grissom was in the other bed, listening. He could not believe what he allowed to happen. Of course if he had any say in the outcome, he wouldn't have said this, of course. But still...he just...he felt like he could've done something other than stan idly by and let this happen. If something happened to Sara, well...he'd never forgive himself.

And that's when he felt it...a tear, a lonely one, slowly making it's way down his cheek and landing on the hospital blankets. That's when he understood...and at that moment, he made a promise that if they were able to get Sara back, he would not allow another moment to go by without letting her know how he truly felt. He'd been pushing her away for so long, that it became somewhat of a mechanical action. Well, not anymore...not after tonight...not if she was able to get out of the predicament that she was in...

...alive.

In the bed on the other side of the room, little Meggi sobbed on Catherine's shoulder. "I-I'm a bad p-per-person."

Catherine was shocked to hear her say that. "What do you mean?"

"If...If I had t-told m-mommy about w-what t-the b-bad man h-had s-said...s-she would b-be here." Meggi sniffled, fisting tears away from her cheeks. Catherine, stunned by her actions, pulling her up onto her lap and held her close, knowing that she was the only form of comfort that this little girl had at the moment.

A few minutes passed, and finally in a soft, squeaky voice, little Meggi admitted something: "h-he sa-said h-he would g-get u-us t-tonight. H-he g-got my m-mommy, i-instead."

Catherine's eyes went wide as Brass, who was just as shocked as she was, jotted everything down. Greg stood back, staying silent. He was angry, but not at Meggi...he was angry at the bastard who took Sara. He wouldn't allow that sweet little girl to see how he was feeling, so he opted to walk out, standing outside the door. It was at that moment that Warrick and Nick came in, spotting Greg and darting down the hallway, not stopping until they reached him.

"How is he?" Nick asked in his Texan twang, which Sara always commented on...that she always had liked, even if she didn't admit that to him. That made his heart sink further, and he sighed, forcing tears back.

"Uh...minor burns, cuts...Meggi had an asthma attack--"

"Meggi?" Warrick cut in.

That's when Greg remembered...they didn't know about Meggi, who she was or whose she was.

And, at that particular moment in time, someone from their group either got the shock of their lives, or had a startling realization...and maybe a decision to go along with it.

Jim Brass had gotten a call, taking it into the other room.

Catherine was realizing just how much she missed Sara, and how bad she would feel if she was gone.

Meggi couldn't stop crying...she wanted her mommy...her mommy always listened to her...she trusted her more, because there was so much more that had to be said and she didn't know exactly how to say it.

Grissom had realized what a big mistake...or rather, what big mistakes he had made over the years. He had to find Sara, even if it was the last thing that he did.

Outside the room, Greg told Warrick and Nick about who Meggi was, and about Sara's past...everything about it, summed up of course. They were shocked, a little put off that she hadn't told them, but more worried about her. And that's when Greg filled them in about Christopher Sidle. When all was said and done, Warrick shook his head, almost punching his fist into the wall until Nick pulled him back.

"When we find the bastard," Warrick stated. "He'll be lucky if he can still breathe after I get done with him."

Nick agreed, and so did Greg but he knew to keep Sara alive, they might have to opt for a different approach...a less lethal approach.

Catherine, inside the room, got up. "Honey, I'll be right back," she said sweetly to Meggi, who had calmed down a little, by now.

Meggi nodded, sitting while Catherine got up and went behind the other door into the restroom. Meggi watched outside, and saw when that nice cop had come back...maybe she could tell him. Getting up, she tip-toed over to the door. She thought Dr. Grissom was asleep, and didn't want to wake him.

At that moment, Jim Brass came back, his face pale white. He had went all the way down to the waiting area to take the call, and now he knew that they had to get to work...fast. If they could even be of any help, now. "Guys...they uh...they found Sara's car...abandoned, out in the desert." He looked to their shocked faces, knowing theirs only mirrored his drawn, tired and worn out face that was trying to hide the despair that he felt, deep down inside. He didn't want to go on with how they all were feeling now, but he knew that he had to. "Blood was found in the interior...a fair amount. Guys...we uh...we may be looking for a body here. I don't want to say that, but--."

In his defense, he said all of this in a hush voice, but what he didn't know was with Catherine in the restroom and Gil off in his own little world, he hadn't realized the little girl getting out of bed and standing by the door. The little girl who had wanted to tell him something important. Something more that could maybe help the case.

But when the word 'body' was said around where her mother's name was said, her face drained of all color, and crinkled up as she let out a wail like no other.

Falling to the ground, she kicked and screamed as all the CSIs and cops came over, observing this tiny little girl's big breakdown.

They didn't know what to do, how to console her, but even more...they didn't know what the little girl was thinking to herself.

_If I had told, she would be here. But I was bad...now mommy's being punished because of me...because of grandma and grandpa....they were bad first, not just with me and mommy..._

_If only I could remember where he said he lived...where he might've taken her..._

_If only..._

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Okay, so this chapter ended up a little weird...hehe. Oh, well...now just click that little box to say if you like it or not...LOL.

Next chapter coming soon...I promise!


	7. Authors Note

To All My Readers:

I will be continuing ALL of my stories very soon, but at this time I have had problems with my document programs. I had all new chapters for all of my stories, and it deleted them. I am hoping to be allowed to use someone else's computer for the time being to upload my stories on there. I hope you all will forgive me for my "laziness" on getting the stories uploaded, and I hope to have a new chapter to this story very very soon.

Thanks!

CSISaraSidle72


	8. Saving Sara

I-I-I-I'm baaaaaaack!! Hehe!! Sorry it took so long, but like I said, damn computer problems. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as I finally figured out what to do with it :)

TeeHehehehe...

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No one in the room knew what to do, at first. Catherine responded, trying her motherly instincts, but that tactic didn't go over so well. Grissom, who had been laid up in bed, not supposed to move for another hour, went against that...he was up in a flash once he heard that little girl scream.

"Meggi, ssh...okay?" He was sweet with her, wrapping her in his arms as he carried her over to one of the beds. He held her to him, calming her down. If the other CSIs didn't know any better...they'd think that Gil Grissom was that little girl's father.

At that moment, Warrick, Nick, Jim and Greg took their leave to go and look at Sara's car. Catherine and Grissom stayed with Meggi, who began to suck her thumb to calm down, but was safe in this man's arms...he was almost like a big teddy bear to her, or someone who acted like Santa Claus...someone she could trust...that she shouldn't run away from.

And just like that, she started to remember.

"7...2...1...4..."

Grissom had to strain his ears to hear. "What was that, Meggi?"

"7...2...1...4...Allen's Way...where _he _lives...where he took my mommy."

Grissom didn't know whether or not to act on this, but at this point, they couldn't lose. Besides, she'd been right for the running, so far. He looked to Catherine, nodding.

Catherine, moving away got on her radio. "This is CSI Willows. We have a lead into the case of CSI Sidle. 7214 Allen's Way. I repeat 7214 Allen's Way."

"Copy that, CSI Willow's. Unit's are on the way."

Catherine breathed in a sigh of relief...she just hoped that it wasn't all for nothing.

It was dark when she woke...and everything hurt. She couldn't see three inches in front of her which, by what she felt, was a good thing. How...how could someone do this to someone else? That's when she felt down, between her legs. Her pants had been ripped from her body, making her cold, now, but also making her embarrassed...hateful of herself. She felt wetness, but removed her hand immediately, crying into her arm. She felt so weak. She took a deep breath, trying to remember what had happened last...where she was.

And that's when she heard footsteps. Hiding, she found herself at the stairs, peeking in between the cracks. She saw the same _him _that had brought her here. But why? Revenge?

Hell, what they were doing now was scaring her, plenty. Death, in a way, would be a blessing.

Before she knew it, having put her guard down, she felt her hair being pulled as she was yanked backwards, being thrown down on the cold concrete.

"Please...don't..."

Hiding her face? He almost had to laugh. "Well, look who's actually asking for mercy. Who always stood up for herself, hmm. So," he said, walking over to her. "Did I actually hear _you, Sara Sidle _asking for mercy? I thought I'd never see the day."

And with that, he laughed, grabbing her head, once more.

Sara flinched, gasping as he led her into another room, having his way with her in a way that a brother shouldn't.

And within minutes, sirens were heard. Sirens that kept getting closer, and closer...

...and closer.

Picking up a gun, Christopher began to finish up with her, getting his gratification in. When he heard the tires screech outside, he loaded the gun. He got up, zipping his pants and wasn't looking at her, until he turned on her, pointing the gun...

Outside, right as Jim Brass pulled up in his cop car along with Catherine, Warrick and Nick right behind him in the Denali, a gun shot rang...it was so loud that everyone stopped, their hearts beating fast.

Two more cops were by the door, and Jim peeked the corner before nodding his head at them, signaling for them to go in.

The house was dark, and it looked as if it hadn't been lived in for about twenty years. The two cops and Brass led the CSIs in, making sure that no weapons or anything of harm came in their path.

And that's when they heard something that broke all of their hearts.

A painful cry, coming from below.

"Las Vegas police," Brass called out in his voice of authority. No sound came after that, and Catherine, Nick and Warrick all exchanged worried and scared glances.

At the bottom of the stairs, they saw chaos. It looked like a war might've gone on by the looks of it. Jim shook his head as they checked each corner, each crawl space that could hide a potential threat.

And that's when they saw it.

Lying on the ground, almost fully naked and bleeding, they saw Sara Sidle. Catherine pushed the guys out of that room before going over to her, putting a blanket over her. They still had to process her, but at least they could spare her her dignity.

Sara sniffled as Catherine patted her head, almost in a loving motherly gesture.

"Sara...did Christopher do this?"

Sara nodded solemnly as she tried to conceal her tears and the terror that she felt within her whole being.

"Sara...Sara," Catherine said, catching her attention and all of a sudden becoming very worried and fearful. "Where's Christopher at?"

That's when Sara pulled out a gun from underneath the blanket.

"His DNA may be on it, since he handled it first," Sara said with a sniffle. Catherine checked inside the gun and found a single bullet missing.

"But Sara," Catherine prodded on. "Where is he?"

Sara shrugged her shoulders as she wiped tears that began to fall.

"I don't know," she whispered. "He was here, I shot at him with that extra gun, but the sirens scared him...I don't know if he got hit or not."

"Sara...did he have a gun?"

All Sara had to do was nod, and all in that room and the one next to it caught their breath.

They still had a long way to go.

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YAY!! I updated! Okay, thanks everyone for the patience, and tell me what you think. The more reviews I get, the better I feel and the more ideas I get for the next chapters to come!

~*CSISaraSidle72*~


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